In the medical field, small and effective medical devices are needed for many applications to treat the interior of the body. Also, doctors and scientists are continually striving to find less invasive ways to treat patients. By using treatments that are less intrusive to the body, doctors can greatly reduce the stress on the patient's systems and exposure to infection. For example, small, nonintrusive medical devices are extremely beneficial when applied to treat the esophagus, which is approximately one to two centimeters in diameter.
Effective medical devices to treat the esophagus could benefit tens of millions of Americans who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD is characterized by a backward flow of the stomach and duodenal contents into the esophagus. These conditions result when the valve at the junction between the esophagus and the stomach does not function properly. When this occurs frequently, it is termed chronic GERD or reflux esophagitis. The symptoms of this condition are dyspepsia, or discomfort in the esophagus after meals, burning chest, upper abdominal pain, sour taste, and regurgitation.
Medical research has revealed that the acidic stomach contents cause anatomic abnormalities of the epithelium, or lining, of the esophagus during reflux. The cell type of the epithelium of the esophagus changes from a squamous, or circular-shaped cell, to a columnar, or rectangular-shaped, cell type. This cellular damage of the epithelium is termed Barrett's esophagus.
Barrett's esophagus is a precursor for cancer of the gastroesophageal system. Barrett's-associated malignancies strike approximately 10,000 people per year. There is a high rate of progression from reflux disease to Barrett's esophagus. In fact, 90 percent of patients with reflux symptoms who have an endoscopic examination show anatomic abnormalities of the epithelium.
Diagnosis of cancer in Barrett's esophagus ordinarily leads to removal of the diseased segment of the esophagus. However, an effective treatment of Barrett's disease could prevent the progression to cancer and could therefore reduce the need for this painful and drastic procedure. An effective treatment for Barrett's esophagus could improve the lives of many people. Ultrasound and argon-ion plasma treatments have been suggested to treat Barrett's esophagus, but these techniques are in early experimental stages and have not been proven effective. It is believed that photodynamic therapy is also a possibility.
Many other disorders could be treated with small, effective medical devices capable of accessing the interior of the body. For example, one disorder of the gastrointestinal system is pyloric strictures. Pyloric strictures occur in the pylorus, or distal aperture of the stomach. The pylorus is surrounded by a strong band of circular muscle, through which the stomach contents are emptied into the duodenum.
Pyloric strictures can be subjected to dilatation to open the pylorus passage. However, the pylorus frequently thickens in response to the dilatation. Repeated dilatation has been used to treat pyloric strictures, but has not proven to be an effective long-term solution. There is a need for treatments to prevent this recurrent thickening of the pylorus.
Thus, there is a need for effective methods and devices to treat many parts of the interior of the body with minimal intrusion. The development of a treatment method and device for Barrett's esophagus and pyloric strictures is especially needed and could benefit millions of people.